8th Nova Clash
The 8th Nova Clash took place in 2061, in Alaska. This was the first clash to feature what became known as the Type-S Nova, which were much faster and much stronger than their previous counterparts from the previous engagements with the Nova. Summary A Type-S Nova materialized in Alaska and quickly began attacking the surrounding area. With standard military forces being incapable of taking down a Nova on their own, let alone an unknown type of Nova as the Type-S was at the time, Pandora from West Genetics were dispatched to neutralize it. Among the Pandora units were the famous Numbers. After a long engagement, the Pandora forces suffered horrific casualties. With the dead Pandora littering the ground, the Numbers attempted to rally under the command of Yu-Mi Kim. However, the Nova immediately retaliated, causing more damage to the Pandora. Desperate, Yu-Mi used Pandora Mode for a direct charge, only to be halted by the Nova's Freezing field. Limiter Max Hemilton quickly tried to break the field with his own Freezing, to no avail. With death imminent, Yu-Mi was saved by the intervention of Kazuha Aoi who used her newly invented speed technique to rescue her friend. With her allies shocked by her display, Kazuha proceeded to debut both of her newly developed skills, what would later be known as "High End Skills." These techniques would come to be called Accel Turn and Tempest Turn. As Kazuha and the Nova fought, the Pandora slowly pushed her numerous Stigmata beyond safe limits, assuming Nova Form and slowly transforming into an unstable and explosive Nova herself. However, she managed to retain her consciousness long enough to destroy the Nova in a suicide attack that killed her as well. The surviving heroes, Yu-Mi Kim, Elize Schmitz and Shion Nayfield, never forgot her sacrifice. The skills she left behind were taught to future Pandoras afterwards. During this Clash, Celie Parnell, a member of the 25th Generation of West Genetics, fled from battle, leading to the destruction of her platoon. Legacy This clash would shape the future of the Pandora and the Aoi Family. The Pandora benefited greatly from the skills Kazuha developed. Not only did High End Skills allow Stigmata to developed rapidly, they allowed the Pandora to fight against the new Nova much more effectively. Also, it was decided that a limit to the number of Stigmata a Pandora would be allowed to receive should be put in place due to Kazuha's slip into Nova Form. Kazuha also left a legacy in the form of her Stigmata, which were recovered and dubbed "Heroic Stigmata." These special Stigmata, more powerful than ordinary ones, would be transferred to exceptional Pandora such as Satellizer L. Bridget, Roxanne Elipton, Cassie Lockheart, and Charles Bonaparte. However, Gengo Aoi was highly opposed to the distribution of his granddaughter's Stigmata. Kazuha's younger brother Kazuya was moved by his sister's determination, and a promise her made to her, and decided to become a Limiter. However, he would also hold his grandfather responsible for Kazuha's death, causing a rift to form between them that would last for years. According to Ouka Tenjouin, Kazuya's anger is misplaced, as Kazuha ignored Gengo's warnings and went in to battle in spite of knowing that she was risking death. For his part Gengo Aoi was grief stricken at the death of his granddaughter. Celie Parnell's actions led to her family gaining a negative reputation, which came to haunt her younger sister Dolly during her Pandora training. Dolly's determination to redeem her sister's name ultimately helped contribute to her death. See also Category:Nova Clash Category:Freezing Manga story arcs